Bosse Lifts Men’s Basketball to 100-88 Win Over Plymouth St.

PLYMOUTH, N.H. — Graduate Kyler Bosse's 28-point performance propelled the Rivier men's basketball team to a 100-88 victory over non-conference opponent Plymouth St. on Tuesday evening at Foley Gymnasium.

The victory ended an eight-game skid to Plymouth State, dating back to the 2012 season. With the win, the Raiders improved to 6-1 while the Panthers fell to 5-1.

Rivier trailed 18-13 early as Bosse hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit to two with 12:37 remaining. The Panthers answered with a basket before junior Matt Constant drained his second triple of the night, bringing the Raiders within one at 20-19. Senior Cheikh Gueye then converted on a free throw and a layup to tie the game at 22 with 9:25 left in the half. Plymouth St. responded with an 11-4 run to take a 33-26 lead at the 6:55 mark. The Raiders countered with a run of their own, sparked by three consecutive baskets from Bosse and an and-one layup by graduate Joey Merrill, to regain the lead at 37-35. The teams exchanged baskets, and graduate Ra'Quan Groves added two free throws to close out the half, leaving the score tied at 41.

Both teams came out firing to start the second half, with Merrill and Groves combining to score Rivier's first nine points, giving the Raiders a 51-49 edge with 15:58 remaining. Plymouth St. stayed competitive, tying the game at 60 at the 11:26 mark. Rivier began to pull away with a barrage of three-pointers from Bosse and Merrill, forcing the Panthers to call a timeout as the Raiders led 71-62 with 9:06 left. Out of the timeout, Rivier extended their lead with a 7-2 run, capped by a layup from senior Odarius Cade, pushing the advantage to 78-64. Plymouth St. managed to cut the deficit to seven points with 4:26 remaining, but Rivier answered with a 9-3 run, highlighted by seven points from Cade, to build an 89-76 lead with three minutes left. The Raiders sealed the game with clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch, securing the victory.

Rivier leaned on their shooting from beyond the arc with 10 three-pointers to Plymouth St.'s 5. The Raiders also controlled the glass, outrebounding the Panthers 40-33, and held a narrow edge in fastbreak points, 25-24.

Bosse led the Raiders with 28 points on 9-of-15 shooting (60%), including 3-of-4 (75%) from beyond the arc, while also collecting five rebounds. Merrill posted his fourth double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Constant contributed 19 points, going 8-of-9 from the free-throw line, and added three steals. Cade scored 15 points and dished out six assists, while Groves recorded season-highs with 12 points and eight rebounds.

The Raiders will return to action on Tuesday, Dec. 3 for a non-conference matchup against Fisher at Pappas Gymnasium. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.